France’s statements on Türkiye following the arrest on corruption charges on its Istanbul mayor, are a clear sign of double standards, the spokesperson of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said on Monday after French opposition chair Marine Le Pen was sentenced to a five-year ban on running for office.
“This is without doubt a double standard,” Çelik told A Haber news channel. “Corruption investigations within the European Union are led in a highly serious manner, however, for some reason, while there is high sensitivity on these investigations within the EU, there is a wholesale and critical approach against non-EU countries.”
Çelik’s words came after French President Emmanuel Macron last week criticized “attacks” on the foundations of democracy in Türkiye, calling them “reprehensible.” He described the events as “systematic persecution of opposition figures and civil society.”
Meanwhile, Macron's main challenger, Le Pen, was convicted over a scheme to take advantage of European Parliament expenses to employ assistants who were actually working for her far-right party in France.
Le Pen as well as the other officials from her party, were banned from running for office, with the judge specifying that the sanction should come into force with immediate effect even if an appeal is lodged.
“This (charges on Le Pen) is important because her party was getting stronger in recent years and Le Pen was Macron’s biggest rival. But with the corruption investigation she received a politics ban. There have been several similar examples in French politics in the past,” Çelik said, giving examples of previous politicians being tried, including Nicolas Sarkozy.
“The statements of Macron and the others are an often-used template against Türkiye. For Macron, the contradiction is that when there is an investigation on corruption in France this is deemed as principled and protecting democracy. Yet, when the same takes place in a non-EU country, this is perceived as lacking democracy,” Çelik highlighted.
There is also criticism by the EU on the independence of courts, Çelik reiterated, and added: “Then we tell them to open the chapters on law within the scope of our candidacy. We are ready to do what is needed for these chapters.”
Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. The process involved opening and then provisionally closing individual chapters, each representing a specific policy area, upon fulfilling the established criteria. By 2016, only 16 out of the 35 chapters had been opened, and only one had been provisionally closed. By 2018, the accession talks reached a standstill. The EU expressed dissatisfaction with what it viewed as a lack of progress on key issues, while Türkiye criticized what it perceived as double standards and a lack of commitment from the EU. This resulted in a de facto suspension of the accession process, leaving the future of Türkiye's EU membership in a state of uncertainty.
Çelik also touched upon the ongoing Republican People’s Party (CHP)-led protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu’s arrest on corruption charges as well as CHP Chair Özgür Özel’s calls on the EU.
Imamoğlu was detained on March 19 and formally arrested on March 23. Between those dates and afterward, riots broke out across Türkiye as the mayor’s CHP sought to mobilize crowds to protest it. Authorities imposed a ban on gatherings after the incitement by the CHP, particularly in Istanbul.
On Özel calling on the EU to support the CHP, Çelik described it as a poor move. Çelik continued to say that although the AK Party and CHP in the past often engaged in heavy debates, never has a CHP chairperson called for patronage and support from outside for a problem within Türkiye. “From this perspective, we see that Özel tries to change the genetics of the CHP.”
“Özel actually engaged in political blackmailing as he does in Türkiye, toward the U.K.,” Çelik said, referring to Özel recently threatening to block UK Labour return to Socialist International, an international organization of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism, due to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s silence.
“The British Labour Party has made a statement saying they support democracy in Türkiye. This British Labour Party will get an answer for being silent on an autocrat for one week from the Socialist International’s vice chair Özgür Özel in the organisation of which we are a member, which they themselves left and now try to reenter,” Özel said Monday during a press conference adding that Starmer would then “try to convince me otherwise.”
“Özel’s speech identifies with the rhetoric of fascist parties in Europe. The Socialist International should think about why such rhetoric is present there,” he said further.
“Özel’s politics of one week is completely based on social separatism. From coffee shops and bookstores to government officials, there is no one he hasn't targeted or threatened," Çelik pointed out.
He said that the political outcome of Özel’s politics is vandalism against some cafes, threats against others, as well as dividing the public into two.
Özel recently expanded a boycott call against some businesses, including state-run and certain private broadcasters, accusing them of ignoring the protest coverage.
